Once and Future Heir
by MerlinSeries6
Summary: The heir to Camelot's throne is conceived...
1. Chapter 1

It had been almost three months since Arthur's miraculous return, and things were as they had once been, the marketplace a bustling hive of activity, the people cheery and at peace. The castle was once again seeing daily visitors, and The Lady Vivian had come to stay frequently, still being in love with Arthur from the spell cast upon her. Queen Guinevere was illuminated, the happiness radiating from her whenever she visited the people or held a feast for the visiting nobles; she had been getting reaquainted with her husband, too, and they spent a huge amount of time together in their chambers, talking, basking in the love that once more surrounded them.

Arthur relished waking up beside his queen, opening his eyes and seeing, not cold stone and slime, but lavish blankets and pillows, warmly coloured and comforting; he was grateful, he would be forever grateful, to Merlin and to the ones who brought him back to life.

Winter was coming- the skies were grey, and the air chilled to the bone those who dared stay out too late. The court was preparing for the coming of Christmas, which was always greatly celebrated with long parties and feasts at which anybody was welcome- everybody was extremely excited, everybody except Queen Guinevere, who had taken ill and was resting in her chambers. Arthur was supposed to be going on a hunt with Sir Leon and the other knights, but he refused to leave her side, terrified that she might slip away in his absence, something he would never forgive himself for. She was lying back on her pillows, hand tightly clasped in Arthur's; she smiled at him softly, face pale, tired. "Arthur, I insist that you join the hunt! I will be well again soon enough, my love." Arthur smiled lovingly and stroked her hand, "I couldn't leave you alone, Guinevere, not again. The hunt has already left and I have sent for Merlin. He'll be here soon." Arthur leant across and kissed her gently; a knock at the door interrupted their moment and an errand boy appeared, ears flushed. "The physician has arrived, sire." Arthur gestured that he should be sent in, and the boy bowed graciously before exiting, Merlin entering a second later. "Merlin," Arthur smiled, clapping him on the shoulder, "It's good to see you." Merlin smiled, and replied "I can't say the same, sire," earning himself a soft shove; Their relationship was amicable, but it would never be what it was. "I would like some water," Guinevere said pointedly to Arthur, and he took the hint, leaving the two alone. "What's wrong?," Merlin asked, moving to sit on the end of the bed, "How are you feeling?" Guinevere's face flushed slightly, and she smiled. "I believe that I am with child. A woman always knows," she added confidently, and Merlin nodded. "That's brilliant, Gwen! How long have you..?" She sat up slightly, resting against the pillows, and looked thoughtful for a moment. "It was not a week ago that I began to feel..strange, and I've been really tired recently- I had to retire from the banquet yesterday." Merlin grinned. "Make sure you have plenty of rest, and if anything at all changes send for me immediately. Gwen," he continued after a pause, "I am so happy for you, truly. This is great news for you, Arthur, and the kingdom." They said their goodbyes and Merlin left, not expecting Arthur to pounce on him the second he reached the staircase. "Well?," he asked, panicked, "Is she alright?" Merlin smiled knowingly and replied "She is fine. In fact, I'd say she was blooming!" He laughed at Arthur's confused face and continued on his way, pleased that the line of Pendragon would be continued for another generation at least.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur smiled lovingly, the campfire warming his cold skin, as he thought of his Queen and his little heir to be- everything was in place, everything was almost perfect, and Arthur counted his blessings. Guinevere was radiant, gliding giddily along corridors and through the town, fanatic admirers following in her wake; the entire kingdom was excited for the birth of Camelot's heir, hoping for, not a girl or boy, but a healthy, live child, strong, one to rule in place when their time came. The knights were on a hunting trip, searching for the elusive lycanthrope, which only came out at midnight- a man cursed to change into a bloodthirsty, ravenous wolf which had been killing local cattle and attacking people in the lower town, leaving them with wounds like nobody had ever known before, huge gashes and lumps of flesh just torn off. Arthur was adamant, against the queen's wishes, that he accompany the knights on the quest, and, thinking of her, he missed her desperately. It was lonely without Merlin, too, but Arthur knew that elsewhere, he was doing a service to the people- as he thought of times passed, Sir Percival called out, startling him into alertness once more. "_Sire!_" A piercing howl shattered the quiet, and Arthur leapt up, rushing to where his knights were gathered, swords out, shields up against the most horrifying beast anyone had ever seen. It was huge, gigantic, its claws like daggers, razor-sharp teeth bared menacingly in a growl, grey hair covering its back; its eyes were blood red, and it looked hungry. "Hold," Arthur said uncertainly as the creature growled and stepped nearer; "_Hold,_" he repeated, preparing to attack; Before he had the chance to say more, the creature struck, leaping forwards and knocking him down as the knights rushed to his defence, striking and wounding the creature, which whined pitifully and began to stagger away; Sir Leon and Sir Percival attended the king as the others followed the creature who, like Arthur, was badly wounded- blood was soaking through his chainmail, and he was unconscious.

It would take time to get back to Camelot, back to Merlin, time that they were up against- they couldn't lose their king, not now, not so soon after everything that had happened.

"What should we do?," Percival asked, unsure; Leon began to lift the king's clothing, revealing a gash many inches long and deep, which was bleeding heavily. "We must stop the bleeding. He'll be dead by dawn if we don't." They applied pressure using their cloaks, which they knotted clumsily over the injury, then almost simultaneously had the same thought. "He's not able to travel," Percival stated, "One of us must stay here and watch over him; the other must go back to Camelot, and fetch the physician." Sir Leon gathered himself and rose, looking every bit the loyal knight."I shall go. I shall ride through the night, I will not stop until I reach Camelot."

"Safe journey, Leon." They shared a look, both wondering how this latest blow would affect the queen, who had only recently come back to them, before Sir Leon went to the horses and Sir Percival hoisted the king up and back into their camp, out of the way and in the warm, praying for the safe return of the other knights, and the survival of the king.


	3. Chapter 3

Sir Percival was worried- Arthur was worse, wrought with fever, his wound no longer bleeding but not healing, either. Sir Leon had been gone for some time now, even though he didn't stop riding all night, but upon returning to Camelot he had been unable to find Merlin- the sorcerer was away from court and not even Queen Guinevere knew where he was; she did, however, know that Arthur was wounded, perhaps mortally, though Sir Leon had tried to tone it down. Together, they rallied a patrol and sent them searching around Camelot and the surrounding towns, in the hope that he hadn't gone too far. The weather was turning, the skies dark and brooding, and there was a creeping chill in the air; smoke billowed from the Druid camp fire, and a strange chattering reached Sir Leon as he approached, hoping to find somebody that could help. ''A knight of Camelot,'' a silky voice said from the shadows, ''Your visit has been much anticipated.'' Leon's hand went instinctively to his sword but, knowing better, he did not draw it. ''You seek Emrys,'' the voice continued, ''He is not here. There is but one person who knows his place.'' The leaves around Sir Leon rustled eerily and he swallowed, nervous. ''Who is it?'' he called out; suddenly, a young man appeared a short distance away, dressed in a purple robe and with symbols painted across his cheek. ''It is I. The last seer.''

The cave wasn't too big, but it was shelter at least, and Percival needed to keep Arthur warm- the weather was grim and he suspected that rain would soon be upon them; first, though, he needed to make sure it was empty, safe, so carefully, he stepped inside. It smelled foul, but it seemed dry and, as far as he could tell, free of unwanted guests. Drawing his sword for protection, he began to walk stealthily to the back end, keeping vigilant. The smell worsened, sickeningly so, and Percival grimaced. He reached the end, a smooth curve, and all of a sudden, with an aggrieved snarl, the source was revealed- it was a grizzly bear, huge, stinking and angry; Percival leapt into action, stabbing and dodging, adrenaline surging dangerously. The town patrol yielded nothing, and the Queen was frantic, but thankfully, Sir Leon was having more luck with the Druid seer, who had agreed to use his powers to find Merlin. ''He is near,'' the man said, watching the crystal shards intently, ''He travels to Camelot from a neighbouring town, but it won't be long before he returns. He knows something is wrong, he can sense it. You must go and intercept him, but hurry, there is not much time. As we speak, he approaches the lower town.'' Leon thanked the man profusely and hurried back to his horse; he came charging back into the town, horses hooves thundering against the cobbles, and spotted Merlin in his long robes- "_MERLIIIIIN!_"

The two of them hurried to the king's aid, praying that they weren't too late- he lay by the smoking fire, pale, sweating and completely out of it; Merlin looked carefully at the wound, which was deep and bloody, cleaned it and tried to heal it using magic, in the hope that the werewolf's poison hadn't spread too far. "_Ge hailige," _he breathed, eyes flashing gold; everybody froze, for a moment, and here was silence- but the King remained as he was, feverish, and unconscious. Merlin knew that there wasn't time to try again, and that if they stayed there much longer, their leader would perish. "We need to get him back to Camelot. The werewolf's poison is strong, and by midnight it will begin to take effect- if Arthur transforms, tonight, then there will be nothing I can do, he will be forever cursed." The two knights, Leon and Percival, exchanged worried glances before beginning to prepare for their journey back- there would be no time for rest, no time to stop. They travelled constantly, quietly, with the king propped up on horse with Merlin, who was terrified that something would go wrong; It was mere hours before they reached Camelot, sighting the majestic castle turrets with an overwhelming feeling of delight and relief, and as they passed through the marketplace people stared, covered their mouths with shock and worry, but there wasn't time to reassure them. Sir Percival hurried to the castle to alert Guinevere, who would be relieved to hear of her husband's return, and Sir Leon accompanied Merlin to his home, where they laid Arthur out across the table. He looked like he was dying, pale, sweating profusely, chest barely rising and falling; the sky was beginning to colour as the sun set, and Merlin was dubious of his abilities as he hurried to find the right book amongst the many stacks that stood precariously around the room. It took a while but eventually, thankfully, he found it - Lycanthropy and Other Conditions. The book instructed him to prepare a poultice using wolfsbane and with trembling hands he placed it upon the wound, watching nervously as it sparkled. For a moment nothing happened and they were all ready to give up hope- Sir Leon looked grave and Merlin's eyes were haunted with memories of all the times before. There was a sharp tap on the door before it swung open and the queen walked in, straight towards her husband. She looked like she had seen a ghost as she stood at his side, holding his cold hand with tears in her eyes. "Arthur," she whispered tearfully, "Please. I know you can hear me." As she spoke, the wound began to retract, growing smaller, and the colour began to return bit by bit to his sweaty skin. "You have worked so hard to unite these lands, I cannot take your place. Albion needs you, _I _need you-" There was a murmur, so soft it was barely heard, _"Heir.."_

Guinevere gave a startled laugh and covered her mouth; Merlin beamed, relieved and all at once, they knew everything would be alright.


End file.
